From the Beginning
by MitchMalfoy25
Summary: A depressed Draco returns to Hogwarts, friendless. Will he be able to find new friends and his life-partner? R and R please. :)
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hello lovely readers! This is my first fanfiction attempt. Please read and review, it will help me to improve. :)**

 **Disclaimer: Nothing except the plot belongs to me, everything else is Jo's.**

 _ **Chapter 1**_

Draco Malfoy paced his room in the Malfoy Manor. The huge Manor was dark and gloomy, like always. But, this time, it looked more dark to Draco. The Second Wizarding War had ended a year ago, and the effects were almost the same to everyone including the Malfoys. Lucius Malfoy was thrown to Azkaban for direct involvement with the Dark Lord. Narcissa was taken there for a two years sentence, where Lucius was to given the Dementor's kiss. Draco was taken to the Ministry of Magic for a trial. He was subjected to 'Legilimency' by the best Legilimens there, the new Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt himself.

He saw the events that happened to Draco. The threat of killing his family, the ruthless torture on the Malfoys after Draco had failed to kill Dumbledore. Draco was not a Occlumens, so he could not guard his memory. And in a way, it helped him to get out of Azkaban. He promised the Minister to help rebuilding Hogwarts castle, and the other harmed buildings. Almost everything was restored with the Malfoy money. Several orphanages were built. Draco had agreed to the terms of the Minister which said that he had to go back to Hogwarts to finish his last year. It was not mandatory for anyone else but him.

In June, he spent a quite 19 th birthday, and two weeks after he got a letter from Azkaban, saying that his mother passed away. It was that day Draco Malfoy first showed any kind of emotions. He broke down completely. Draco Malfoy cried, blasted off several artifacts in his father's study. Draco came down to the present, where he was pacing his room with the Hogwarts letter in his hand. It was a welcome letter as always, but it said that there would be no Heads from their year, but the Prefects will be there. Draco and the fellow students in his year would share the classes with the new Seventh years. The Head Boy and Girl would be selected from the new Seventh years.

He put the letter aside and strode to the bookshelf that adorned the wall. He pulled a Potions book from his Fourth year and opened a certain page. He took a photograph from it, of a beauty in periwinkle dress robes. "Will you come back?" The blonde whispered to the picture of the girl he fancied since Fourth year. He put the book in the shelf and laid down on the huge bed, looking at the photograph of Hermione Granger. The journey to Hogwarts was two weeks later.

In her muggle home, Hermione Granger got the Hogwarts letter as well. She practically fainted when she saw that she was not the Head Girl. "What about us then?" She spoke loudly to herself. She paced her room, annoyed with the decision. "But I'll go back. I need to have the NEWTs to get a job in the Magical World." She stated. Last year was a stressful one for her, and the others who helped the light side. 'Well, it was stressful for the Slytherins too.' She thought.

After the war, Harry and Ron were allowed to join the Auror training. Hermione also got the proposal, but she refused politely. She wrote a letter to Harry and Ron (There was no need for two separate letters for them, as Ron never really read a letter), asking if they were going to attend the last year. She already replied McGonagall about her returning to Hogwarts. She had packed the trunk, though school was two weeks later.

She got a reply from her two best friends, but to her dismay, they would not go to Hogwarts. She groaned and went downstair. The house was empty, as her parents were in their chambers. She found them from Australia and removed the memory charm from them, so now they were back to normal. As she went to the kitchen, she saw a old lot of the Daily Prophet. On the first page of the toppest paper, was a moving photograph of Draco Malfoy. She frowned at the photograph and looked away.

She had heard about the trial of Malfoy from Kingsley, the Minister and a close friend of them. She knew about the torture they had to go through. But still it didn't remove the memories of the insults, the taunts of Draco. She sighed. "I guess he will come back as well. Kingsley said so." She muttered to herself. Great, she had to survive a year with Malfoy without Harry and Ron.

Weeks passed, and it was finally the time to board the Hogwarts Express. Draco got up from his King size bed on September First, looking at the clock on the wall. He had plenty of time to get ready. He went to the equally huge bathroom, and brushed his teeth, making them shine. He may have lost everything, but his charming looks were with him. Draco grinned at the thought and went to the shower.

After cleaning himself up completely, Draco put on his white oxford shirt and black slacks. He preferred to board the train in his uniform, though it was not necessary. He sat at the edge of his bed and bent over to tie the laces of his shoe. He stood up and waved his wand at the trunk, levitating it and going downstair. It was 10-30, he had half an hour. Draco held the trunk, now making it lighter with a light-weight charm, and apparated away.

He landed at the platform 9¾, the bustling crowd of Hogwarts students reaching his ears. As he walked towards the luggage compartment to drop his trunk there, he noticed people pointing at him and talking in hushed tone. He bit his lip and hung his head lower, before dropping the trunk into the luggage compartment. He was boarding the train, when he heard someone say, "I didn't know that they were letting Death Eaters in." He didn't look back, instead he found a lone compartment at the end of the train and sat there. His Eagle owl, Zeus was outside, as he didn't like to be inside the cage. Draco sighed and put his head in his hands, mercury eyes somewhat watery.

Hermione was up early, she was a morning person. She brushed her teeth, now even as the others, and sat on her bed, opening up a Potions text book. "Hermione, come downstairs. Breakfast is ready." Her mother, Helena Granger called. Hermione put the book on her bed and skipped downstairs. "Morning Mum, morning Dad." She greeted her parents. She ate breakfast quickly, though it was only 8-30. She got up from the table and went to her room again.

She got inside her bathroom and enjoyed a dip inside. Her hair, still curly but not so bushy, was piled on top of her head and was secured in place with a clip. She bathed for a long time, and finally got out from the tub. She dried herself with a drying charm and wrapped a fluffy green towel around her. She walked in her room and got dressed in a pair of skinny jeans and a pale blue top. As it was not necessary to board the train in their uniform, Hermione packed her uniform in her beaded bag with an undetectable extension charm.

Hermione's father, Steven Granger was out in the driver's seat of their car. They usually drived to King's Cross when Hermione was at home in the summer. Her mother was not joining today, as she had some meeting in her chamber. Hermione put her trunk and Crookshanks' cage at the back seat and sat on the passenger's seat. "Ready dear?" Steven asked. Hermione fastened he seat-belt and grinned. "Ready, Dad." And with that, they started for the station. Once reaching there, Hermione got out of the car and her father helped getting her trunk out. She got a trolley and pushed towards the barrier between platforms 9 and 10, coming up onto platform 9¾.

Hermione was putting the trunk in the luggage compartment, when she heard the taunting voice of someone. Her head snapped in that direction, and she saw Draco Malfoy getting on the train with his head hung low, blonde hair falling into his eyes. A Ravenclaw made the comment about him. Hermione frowned. Draco didn't even turn around. Hermione shrugged and got on the train, Crookshanks' cage in her hands.

 **End AN: How was the first chapter? A bit long, I know. Reviews will make my day. ^_^**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

 _ **Chapter 2**_

Hermione looked for an empty compartment. Harry and Ron were not there with her, and she would rather sit alone than stay in a compartment with Ginny, Luna and the other girls. Sure, she loved them dearly, but she didn't quite like Luna's invisible creatures, or Ginny and the oher girls' boy talk and fashion gossip. That's why she was looking for a compartment, and she was certain that the one she was standing outside of, was an empty one.

Draco sat in the compartment, still his head buried in his hands. He didn't even heard the door open, or the soft feminine gasp. "Malfoy? I-is that you?" He heard the too familiar voice state. He looked up, wiping his eyes, and saw the familiar figure of Hermione Granger. She was frowning at him. "Who else?" He snapped. He was certain that Potter and Weasley did not come back. He gave a particularly nasty look , to which Granger's frown darkened.

Hermione finally tried to stop this scowling contest and sighed. "Never mind." She stated, walking out of the compartment and closing the door. She looked around. 'Guess I'll have to sit with those walking fashion magazines after all.' She thought with a sigh. Hermione found Ginny, Luna and two other girls from their year sitting in the compartment. Oh well, she was the only Gryffindor that came back. Not even Neville, Seamus, Dean, Parvati. Now she had to share the dorm and classes with the students in Ginny's year.

She was snapped out of the trance by Luna's dreamy voice. "Hey Hermione, did the Wrackspurts disturb you?" She asked, as if they were as normal of a beast as an owl. Hermione shook her head and sat beside her, and opposite Ginny. "Hi Hermione, how was your summer?" Ginny asked, looking excited. Why was she looking that excited? She should be sad that Harry was not with her. Then it became clearer to Hermione. The tiny pin on her school robes. Ginny Weasley was selected Head Girl. That's why she was already in her uniform, to show off the badge.

Hermione felt tears come to her eyes. She mentally scolded herself. She should be happy for Ginny. So why was this feeling coming to her? "I-uh, it was alright Ginny." She replied Ginny's question. "Uh, excuse me." Hermione said and got out of the compartment. She ran towards the washroom of the train, which was at the far end of the corridor. As she was running without looking, she bumped into something solid, yet warm. The 'thing', held her, saving her from falling. "Thank yo- Malfoy, you again?" Hermione looked into his silvery eyes. "Why yes, it's me. Tell me Granger, why are you running like a basketcase?" He said. The tears that were kept until now, began to fall freely. Malfoy looked shocked, his eyes widened. "Hey, what did I say to make you cry?" He asked, confused about the reason of her tears.

She continued to cry till Malfoy dragged her inside of his compartment. He sat her on a seat and took a seat opposite her. "What is it Granger? What happened?" He asked. His chest hurt to see the girl he loved like this. She noticed that she hadn't change in her uniform, and was wearing muggle clothes. She had her beaded bag with her, but the cage of the mangy beast wasn't with her. Oh, that cleared the thing. Her cat might had run off, that's why she was upset. "Did your cat run off?"

Hearing the question, Hermione looked at him, awestruck. "What?" She said in a tearstrained voice. "No! Crookshanks never runs off. He's with G-Ginny." Taking the name of the new Head Girl, she started crying again. Now the blonde was getting frustrated. "Are you going to tell me or not?" He asked. Hermione frowned at him, "Why the hell would I tell you of all people?" She snapped. The tears subsided slightly, and Hermione pulled a handkerchief out of her bag and wiped her eyes. "Listen Malfoy, I'm going to ask you for a favor." She stated, standing up. "Ask away." He shrugged, leaning against the seat. "Umm, may I seat here for the rest of the journey? Please?" Hermione said, slightly embarassed at her tears which fell in front of Malfoy. She was a little angry on herself. She should be a good friend to Ginnh and accept the fact. But no! She was running away from it.

What? She said 'please'! To him of all people! And she wanted to sit wih him! Draco Malfoy couldn't believe his ears. "Uhh, yes why not." He stated, somewhat in a daze. Hermione gave a small smile. "Thank you, I am bringing Crookshanks then." She said and walked out of the compartment and to Ginny's. "Sorry guys, I'm going to seat with someone else." She stated, picking up Crookshanks' cage. Ginny shrugged. "Alright." Hermione nodded and went back to Malfoy. She put the cage on the seat and sat down. "I'm still not telling you." She stated. Malfoy raised an eyebrow and shrugged.

Hermione looked at the blonde before her. He was changed. Much changed. His looks were all the same, but they were matured. He was taller than the previous year, almost 6'1. Hermione was only 5'5. She wondered about Malfoy more. In a year, what had changed about him was his mind. He didn't call her 'Mudblood' since she met him today. He was still a prat, but not a hateful one. "Like what you see?" Her trance broke at his voice, and she realised that she was staring at Malfoy. The said teen was smirking smugly. Hermione blushed. "I-I am going to change." She said, getting up and taking her uniform from her bag. She quickly went to the washroom, still blushing.

Quickly she put on her white shirt and skirt, before pulling on her Gryffindor robes. She walked out of the washroom, and to Malfoy's compartment. 'Maybe I should ignore him for the rest of the journey.' She thought. Yes. That is what she would do. Hermione entered the compartment again and found the Slytherin stare out of the window. He was so… distracted. In all her eight years knowing him, she had never seen him in such a distracted state. 'War does that to even the coldest person.' She remembered Harry say once. She shook away the thoughts and sat down, taking a book out. It was, as usual, 'Hogwarts : A History'. She smiled at the worn cover of the book and opened a chapter that she had read probably umpteenth times before.

 **AN: A really long chapter. What d'ya think? State in the reviews. ;)**


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